While the YouTube app is mostly bug-free, it may sometimes show several problems. Sometimes, the app can fail to play certain videos, show only a black screen, or crash or lag. Most of the issues are linked to the server side, but if the YouTube app crashes on Android, you must look into your phone.

Crashes in the YouTube app may indicate low storage or device problems; hence, they must be fixed as soon as possible. If you are having problems opening the YouTube app, here’s what you can do.

1. Restart your Android Device

Sometimes YouTube apps may crash due to system-level bugs or glitches. You can easily remove such glitches & bugs just by restarting your device.

So, before you try any other methods, make sure to restart your Android smartphone. To restart your Android device, press and hold the Power button and select Restart.

After the restart, open the YouTube app again and continue using it for a while. If the app crashes due to system-level bugs, you will no longer experience the crash issue.

2. Force Stop the YouTube app

If the app crashes after restarting, you must force-stop the YouTube application. Maybe certain processes run by the YouTube app are the culprits preventing the app from functioning at its best.

You can try force-stopping the YouTube app on your smartphone to resolve the crash or lag issue. Here’s how to Force-Stop the YouTube app on Android.

• Long press the YouTube app icon on your home screen.
• On the menu that appears, select App Info.
• On the App Info screen, tap on Force Stop.

3. Make sure your phone has sufficient Storage

Like every other app on your smartphone, the YouTube app also requires a certain amount of storage space to function properly.

If your phone doesn’t have enough storage space, all apps, including YouTube, will have problems.

So, it’s best to ensure your device has sufficient storage space left for the YouTube app to function properly. You can try removing unused apps or junk folders to free up storage space on Android.

Otherwise, use the Storage Analyzer apps for Android to determine which apps are taking up most of your storage space. If you find any unused apps, you can uninstall them and remove their leftover files.

4. Update the YouTube App

Pending app updates are often the reason YouTube keeps crashing on Android. YouTube app updates are important for the stability and proper functioning of all features.

So, if your YouTube app is crashing out of nowhere, it’s time to check if any app updates are pending. Head to the Google Play Store and check whether any update is available.

If an update is available, tap the Update button to install all updates. After the update, continue using the YouTube app for a while. You won’t have to deal with YouTube crashing issues anymore.

5. Enable Unrestricted for Battery Usage

Reddit users shared a workaround that helped many YouTube users fix the problem. Basically, you have to enable the battery’s Unrestricted usage.

To do that, press the App and tap the (i). On the App info screen, select Battery and enable ‘Unrestricted’. After making the changes, reopen the YouTube app and see if it helps.

6. Disable the VPN/Proxy

While VPNs and Proxy services can make you anonymous and are good for security and privacy purposes, they can also create problems with certain apps.

Using a VPN while using YouTube can cause problems with the server connection. When the server connection fails, the YouTube app can crash, or videos may not play.

You can temporarily turn off your VPN apps or Proxy services to see if that resolves the issue.

7. Clear the YouTube App Cache

Outdated caches are known to create problems like app crashes or lag. When the saved cache data becomes old or corrupt, it conflicts with the app and affects its functionality.

The YouTube app can behave oddly. You can clear the outdated YouTube app cache by simply removing it. Here’s how to clear the YouTube app cache on Android.

1. Long press on the YouTube app icon and select App Info.

2. On the App info screen, select Storage Usage.

3. On the Storage usage, tap on the Clear Cache option.

8. Reset the Google Play Services

Google Play Services is an app installed on your Android device. It connects Google Apps on your phone to Google Services.

So, if the YouTube app is still crashing, there may be some problems with the Google Play Services, and you can reset the app to fix it. Here’s how to reset Google Play Services on Android.

1. Open the App Drawer on Android and select Apps.

2. On the Apps, tap on App Management.

3. Now, find and tap Google Play Services.

4. On the App Info screen, tap on Storage Usage.

5. Now click on Manage Space.

6. On the next screen, tap on Clear All Data.

9. Grant Necessary Permissions to the YouTube App

During the installation, the YouTube app asks you to grant several permissions. If you’ve denied the permissions, the app may fail to open or crash out of nowhere.

Many users have claimed to resolve the YouTube app crashing issue by granting all necessary permissions. Hence, you can try doing it as well. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Press the YouTube app icon on your home screen and select App Info.

2. On the App Info screen, tap on Permissions.

3. Ensure the Audio, Photos and Videos, and Storage permissions are allowed.

10. Reinstall the YouTube App

If nothing has worked for you until now, reinstalling the YouTube app is a good idea. Doing this will download and install the latest app files on your phone, possibly fixing the YouTube app stopped working problem.

To reinstall the YouTube app, press its app icon on your home screen and select Uninstall. Alternatively, open the YouTube app listing on the Google Play Store and select Uninstall. After the uninstallation, open the Google Play Store and install the YouTube app again.

11. Install the Android Updates

Maybe the version of Android your phone is using isn’t fully compatible with the YouTube app. In this scenario, the best you can do is update your system software to the latest version.

Like app updates, Android version updates are equally important. Android version updates often include bug fixes and security patches that are crucial for the smartphone’s proper functioning.

So, head to Settings > About Device > System Updates and download & install all pending updates. Once the update is done, open the YouTube app and continue using it without errors, lags, or crashes.

If you use a YouTube mobile app to satisfy your daily video needs, finding the app crashing in the middle of a video could be frustrating. However, you can follow all these methods to resolve the YouTube app crashing issue on Android devices.